Subject: (urth) Re: Mystery Play

From: Jeremy W. Crampton <seltzoid at veriomail.com>
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 20:51:38 +0000

In an archived message, Gordon Brain wrote:

___
From: "Gordon Brain" <gobrain at netcomuk.co.uk>
Subject: (urth) Mystery Play?
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 19:51:24

[...]
My first reactions on reading about the play were that it reminded me of a
medieval Mystery Play. These were performed out of doors, with scenes
mounted on a wagon-stage. Their subjects were usually biblical, including
The Creation, The Fall & Redemption Of Man, The Last Judgement and so on.
God, archangels, devils were portrayed, usually by males but with the
occasional nude female as Eve or Bathsheba. They were in the vernacular
with no attempts at historical realism and were apparently often witty and
satirical. In other words popular entertainment of their time. I think that
this is the kind of effect that Wolfe has recreated here, but with ideas
and symbolism relevant to the future age.
__

If I can make a slight contribution to this message, if anyone is interested
in Mystery Plays they are in fact still occasionally performed around
England. I think there are a limited number of places which host them,
including Chester, my hometown, and Wakefield. It was in the latter that I
myself appeared in the late 1970s (Devil No. 4, iirc).

I also have here an entire script for the Chester Mystery Plays, which
appears to have been published in the late 1950s. This is a series of three
plays "In the Beginning," "The Nativity," and "The Passion". The dramatis
personae are given below:

First Play (entire cast)
A Citizen of Chester (ie Narrator, gives framing tales and connects them)
Deus
Lucifer
Adam
Cain
Abel
Noah, Noah's Wife
Shem, Ham, Japhet, Shem's Wife and Ham's Wife and Japhet's Wife
Abraham
Isaac
Moses
Ezekiel
Jeremiah
David
Joel
Micah
Eve
Archangels
Cherubim
Seraphin
Angels
The Devil, Formerly Lucifer
Crowd
A Lion
A Lamb

Second Play
Includes Herod, Simeon, Mary, The Archangel Gabriel, 3 kings, citizens,
demons etc.

Third Play
Includes Jesus, disciples, Pilate, soldiers, 1st and 2nd thief, Mary, Mary
Magdalene, two angels, Jews, and The Devil.

Thanks,

Jeremy

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/